I know chocolate is the go-to flavor for most sweet lovers, but for me it’s always been caramel. That rich blend of butter and melted sugar simmered with cream is my dessert perfection. And with Tahana Confections, Amanda Telford has created a sublime line of caramels that are irresistible. Read more

“To me, a real B&B is in someone’s home,” says Anne Dodge, who owns 167 Water Bed and Breakfast with her husband Chuck Kennedy. The two-bedroom accommodation is indeed located in the couple’s house. Read more

A stay at Hidden Pond is a true vacation getaway. The 36 “rooms” are actually “these beautiful individual cottages, amid a 65-acre garden,” notes General Manager Justin Grimes. “You have the contrast between secluded wood enclaves and the coastal beach right at your fingertips.” Read more

Apple orchards are a New England specialty, and apple season is most definitely here – it arrived a few weeks early this year, according to farmers I’ve chatted with at weekly markets, due to our unusually hot summer. Read more

The Colony Hotel is a rarity – it’s not part of a chain. The 125-room property has been in the Boughton and Banta families since 1948. The establishment includes three buildings, plus two vacation rental style houses. According to General Manager John Martin, there are nine different room types, because the sprawling red-roofed main building, which dates to 1913 or 1914 (it’s debated), was constructed during an area when guests would bring servants with them, who would have smaller rooms. Read more

If you think salt is exclusively white, descend the steps of the Portsmouth Salt Cellar (yes, it is below street level), and you’ll be greeted by the glowing lights of lamps carved from blocks of pinkish orange Himalayan salt. Read more

The Oceanic Hotel on Star Island is comprised of a sprawl of nineteenth-century wooden buildings that enable that enable as many as 280 guests to spend the night among the Isles of Shoals from mid-June through mid-September. Read more